The Congress will on Sunday organise a 'Satyagraha' in all districts in all the states of the country in protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Member of Parliament.
The Congress party leaders and cadres will hold the day-long Satyagraha in front of Mahatma Gandhi statues at all states and district headquarters to protest against his disqualification from the Lok Sabha. The Satyagraha will begin at 10 AM and end at 5 PM.
However, Delhi police has denied permission to the Congress for observing the 'Satyagraha' in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi. The police invoked Section 144 Cr.P.C in and around Rajghat and "any kind of congregation more than 5 persons would be illegal. Hence any gathering with more than 5 persons is not permitted," the notification said.
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On March 23, a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted Rahul in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail. The next day, the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Rahul as an MP of Wayanad as per the law. The Congress party is protesting against it.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will stage the Satyagraha at Raj Ghat in Delhi.
Satyagraha is a form of protest that's rooted in Mahatma Gandhi's anti-colonial movement. Though the concept is ancient and found in ancient Indian philosophy and also seen in other cultures such as the New Testament.
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"The word ‘Satyagraha’ is Sanskrit in origin. It is a compound word formed of ‘Satya’, meaning ‘truth’ and ‘Agraha’, meaning ‘clinging, holding fast, adherence, insistence’. In other words, Satyagraha means clinging to truth, holding fast to truth, insistence on truth, or firm adherence to truth; come what may. Gandhiji described Satyagraha as “firmness in a good cause” in Indian opinion," says the Congress party on its website.
The Congress feels that Rahul's conviction and disqualification, which it has alleged was done in reaction to his consistently questioning the relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Gautam Adani, poses a serious threat to the world's largest democracy. The Congress has said that Rahul is not alone and millions of Congresspersons and people irrespective of their political affiliations will join him in this fight for truth and justice.
To this end, all Pradesh Congress Committees have been asked to organise a one-day Satyagraha in front of Gandhi statues in all State and District Headquarters from 10 AM to 5 PM on Sunday.
The top Congress leadership also went into a huddle once again at the party headquarters in Delhi with Priyanka and General Secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, along with the two chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel.
(With PTI inputs)
